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Eric Lang
| aliases = Doctor Eric Lang | franchise = Dark Shadows | image = | notability = | type = | gender = | base of operations = Doctor Lang's laboratory, Collinsport, Maine | associations = | known relatives = Adam Creation. Assisted by Jeff Clark and Julia Hoffman. | status = | born = | died = 1968 | 1st appearance = Episode 466 | final appearance = Episode 546 | actor = Addison Powell }} Eric Lang is a fictional scientist featured on the original Gothic daytime soap opera television series Dark Shadows. He is a character presented in the main timeline and is a major figure in the "The Birth of Adam" storyline. He is also one of the affected parties in "The Dream Curse" storyline. The character was played by actor Addison Powell and first appeared in episode 466 in 1968. He made eighteen on-screen appearances in the series in total. Biography Eric Lang was a scientist who was born sometime around the year 1913. When he was in his mid-fifties, he was operating out of a laboratory in Collinsport, Maine. Eric Lang became obsessed with the concept of creating new life and committed all of his efforts towards developing the perfect human organism, which would be culled from body parts from cadavars. To this end, he hired an underling named Jeff Clark to steal bodies for him, which he would use in his experiments. Doctor Lang supplemented his income by working as a physician at a hospital. One evening in 1968, he was brought in two patients by the name of Barnabas Collins and Victoria Winters. Lang quickly discovered that Barnabas was a vampire. Lang was so brilliant that he actually devised a cure for Barnabas, which involved transferring the vampiric elements of his body into that of his creation, which came to be known as Adam. Barnabas' nemesis was a witch named Angelique, who didn't want Lang helping Barnabas, so she used a voodoo doll to simulate Lang having a heart attack. Before he died however, he left behind a voice recording with a cryptic warning. Were Adam to die, then Barnabas would become a vampire once again. Doctor Lang's legacy lived on through the voice recording. It was recorded on the back-end of some classical music, which Barnabas and his colleagues Julia Hoffman and Willie Loomis would play for Adam to keep him amused. Leaving Adam alone with the recording, the creature would listen to Eric Lang's recording over and over again, eventually determining the meaning behind his warning. Notes & Trivia * * Eric Lang was developed as a pastiche of Victor Frankenstein, the Swiss scientist from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, who created new life by stitching together parts from cadavers. * Eric Lang made seventeen on-screen appearances as a living person. He made one on-screen appearance as a ghost. Audio archival clips of Lang's voice were used in seven episodes as part of a tape recording, but the actor had no involvement in these scenes. * The Dark Shadows Wikia indicates that Eric Lang was born in 1913. Actor Addison Powell was born in 1921, making him considerably younger than the character he portrayed. * During "The Dream Curse" storyline, Doctor Lang told the dream to Julia Hoffman. * Actor Addison Powell also lent his voice talents as the ghost of Jeremiah Collins in four episodes of the series. This was during the "1795 Flashback" storyline, which occurred prior to his work as Doctor Lang. * Addison Powell also played the role of Judge Madigan in episode 404. * Addison Powell also played the role of Judge Wiley in episode 1162. This was the actor's final work on the series. * As punishment for trying to help Barnabas Collins, Angelique used voodoo to simulate a heart attack. Dark Shadows: 485 * Coincidentally, actor Addison Powell would go onto portray another doctor named Eric. He played Eric Kerwin in the 1980 movie Doctor Franken, which was likewise inspired by the Frankenstein story. Appearances * Dark Shadows: 467 * Dark Shadows: 468 * Dark Shadows: 469 * Dark Shadows: 470 * Dark Shadows: 471 * Dark Shadows: 472 * Dark Shadows: 475 * Dark Shadows: 476 * Dark Shadows: 475 * Dark Shadows: 476 * Dark Shadows: 478 * Dark Shadows: 479 * Dark Shadows: 480 * Dark Shadows: 481 * Dark Shadows: 482 * Dark Shadows: 484 * Dark Shadows: 485 * Dark Shadows: 486 * Dark Shadows: 488 * Dark Shadows: 494 * Dark Shadows: 496 * Dark Shadows: 498 * Dark Shadows: 500 * Dark Shadows: 505 * Dark Shadows: 506 * Dark Shadows: 539 * Dark Shadows: 540 * Dark Shadows: 541 * Dark Shadows: 543 * Dark Shadows: 545 * Dark Shadows: 546 }} See also External links * References Category:Ghosts Category:1968 character deaths Category:Characters who are killed by witchcraft Category:1913 character births Category:Characters with biographies Category:Dark Shadows: The Birth of Adam/Characters Category:Dark Shadows: The Dream Curse/Characters